Commonly asked questions: What do beginner’s ask? What should people know to use technology for instruction? Which technologies?
Music Software (Luisa)
1. Are there any music notation software programs that I can download for free?
Yes, there are several music notation software programs that are free including FinaleNotePad2007 which is a smaller version of the industry standard Finale program. More recent versions of the FinaleNotePad program are no longer free, so you must do a search and find the 2007 version (the last version that was free).
2.Can the software be run on a Mac or PC? Yes, just click on the version you need when you begin to download it.
3. How do you input the music? Do you need a midi keyboard to do it? No, although if you play the piano, it is much faster to use a midi keyboard. You can also type the letter names of the notes in while choosing the type of note using the "Note Palate."
4. Do I have to download special sounds to make the music play back? No, sounds come with the software, although they are not the best. You can download better sounds, but usually at a cost.
5. Can students save their work? Absolutely! That is one of the great things about it. However, you should decide how they are going to do that before you start using the software. You may consider using a flashdrive, although they prone to breaking (especially with younger students). If your students have access to a school server they could save it there, but they need to know how to access it and have the necessary passwords, thus necessitating a preassessment of their knowledge and skill to do that. Student can also save their work to a disk but the students need to know how to do that before starting their projects.
6. What is a good, efficient way to show students how the software works? Once you have determined that students will be able to save their work, an efficient way to instruct a large class is to show students the basics BEFORE they turn on their computers. A SmartBoard or Projector will aid in this endeavor greatly. In addition a student guide with clear objectives that students can refer to will be of great help and lessen the instructor's time helping each individual student. It will also aid in keeping the students on-task.
Technology in Foreign Language (Maria) 1. How can I integrate sound to my power point so students can hear the correct pronunciation of a word in Spanish?
There are two ways. The first one is to go to insert in your power point menu, then go to sound and music and you will find the option to record sound. This way you can go slide by slide describing in Spanish what the students are seeing in the picture(s). The second option is to narrate the whole presentation at once. Go to the slide show option, click on record narration, start talking and move on to the next slide without stopping the recording. You can also have students record their voice, which is very motivating for them.
2. How can I use imovie to promote my program? Using imovie is great to show what your students are able to do with the language. Most students like to perform and they get motivated to speak more fluently and with the right intonation. imovie has the option to record directly from your computer video camera (if it doesn't have one, use a regular video camera and import the video). You can edit very easily, save it as a quick time movie, place it in your website and parents can see what takes place in class. It is very important to make sure that parents have signed permission to have their children videotaped.
3. What is audacity and how can I use it in my teaching? Audacity is a free application that you can download from www.audacity.com You canrecord your voice reading a story or reviewing some vocabulary words and play it as many times as you want. Students can also record their voices and you can have students in other classes listen and learn from others.
4.What is skype and how can I integrate it into my lessons? Skype is also a free application which can be a great tool for the foreign language class. Make sure you always know who you are talking to and never accept anyone you don't know. Your students can prepare an interview in Spanish and they can talk to someone from any Hispanic country in the world. I have also used it with other schools in the district, where children can practice their language skills with other students that are learning the language.
5. What is Quia? Quia is a website where teachers can register to create games, activities, quizzes and more. The templates for the activities are already made, so all you have to do is input the vocabulary you want the students to practice. It is very easy to use and has a variety of activities that the students enjoy. It has a useful way to analyze the quizzes that allows the teacher to re-teach or modify based on specific results.
Digital Video & Audio (Adam)
1.) What do Interlace and Progressive mean?
Interlaced means the video is divided into odd and even fields. Each second first the odd, then the even field is drawn on the screen.
Progressive means the image is drawn from top to bottom.
2.) What’s the difference between a computer screen and a TV screen?
There are two. The first is computer screens are progressive, while TV screens are interlaced.
Second, computer screens use square pixels, while TV screens use rectangular pixels. This means an image formatted on a computer screen will not look the same on a TV screen.
3.) How much disk space do you need to store 1 hour of footage?
13 GB=1 hour of DV
72.7 GB=1 hour 8-bit uncompressed SD
96 GB=1 hour 10-bit uncompressed SD
560 GB=1 hour uncompressed 1080i HD
4.) What is compression?
Compression is the process of encoding video and audio. Compression codecs reduce the quality of specific aspects, such as color or clarity, to reduce file size.
5.) What’s a control track?
Whenever you record content to a physical medium, i.e. a VHS or MiniDV tape, you are recording three channels of information; the video track, the audio track(s), and the control track. The control track does not contain information on what you are recording. It functions like a map of the tape. If you play a tape and see a timecode, that is because of the control track. When there is no control track there is no timecode. To edit footage from a tape into a sequence you need at least 5 seconds of control track before and after whatever you want to take from the tape. Sometimes you need as much as 30 seconds.
6.) What are linear and non-linear editing?
Linear editing means you have to start at the beginning of your sequence and edit content into the sequence in the order it will appear. Non-linear editing means you capture the footage on a computer and then assemble the pieces in any order you want. The advantage of non-linear editing is you can revise your project at any time. When working with linear editing, if you want to change something about your sequence you have to start all over again from scratch.
7.) What are some examples of non-linear editing?
iMovie, Premiere, Final Cut, and Avid. They are listed from least powerful to most.
Word Processing in Pages '09 (Alan)
1.) What is Pages '09?
Pages is Apple's version of Microsoft Word used for word processing. It is packaged in a bundle Apple calls iWork, which consists of Keynote (Apple's version of Microsoft PowerPoint), and Numbers (Apple's version of Microsoft Excel).
2.) Why should I use Pages '09 over Microsoft Word '08 for Mac?
Pages is a powerful word processing program which allows Apple users to finely tune their documents. Using pages various templates for outlines, to envelopes, letterheads, to flyers and brochures users can create professional looking documents within minutes. All elements can be customizes from the fonts to the colors, and even the images can be changed by dragging and dropping your own pictures right into the document and adjusting them to meet your needs. Customizing a template has never been so easy, or fun.
3.) How can I insert media into my documents?
iWork allows its users to insert pictures from iPhoto or Aperture 3, movies from iMovie or Aperture 3, or music from iTunes. All media content can be found by simply clicking on the "media" button on the upper left hand corner. All your media libraries are easily accessible and can be placed within a document within seconds.
4.) What system requirements are needed to run Pages '09 on my Apple computer?
Pages '09 requires:
Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (500MHz or faster) processor
512MB of RAM; 1GB recommended
32MB of video memory
Mac OS X v10.4.11 or Mac OS X v10.5.6 or later
QuickTime 7.5.5 or later
1.2GB of available disk space
DVD drive required for installation
5.) Can I save Pages '09 documents as a Microsoft Word document?
Yes. By clicking on "file", "save as", and then on the arrow to get more options, you can choose "save document as: Microsoft Document". Saving files this way will allow you to send files to any PC user for reading or editing.
6.) Can I open Microsoft Word documents with Pages '09?
Yes. One way you can open Microsoft Word documents in Pages '09 is by dragging and dropping the Microsoft Word file over the Pages '09 icon. The second way to open a Microsoft Word document in Pages '09 is by choosing "File", and then "Open File". Next, select the desired file from Finder and click "open".
7.) Does Pages '09 come with my Apple computer?
No. iWork does not come pre-installed on any of the Apple computers. Users can purchase iWork with any Apple computer for $49 dollars with a computer, or $79 without a computer. iWork is a great addition to any Apple computer.
Educational Technology FAQs
Commonly asked questions: What do beginner’s ask? What should people know to use technology for instruction? Which technologies?Music Software (Luisa)
1. Are there any music notation software programs that I can download for free?
Yes, there are several music notation software programs that are free including FinaleNotePad2007 which is a smaller version of the industry standard Finale program. More recent versions of the FinaleNotePad program are no longer free, so you must do a search and find the 2007 version (the last version that was free).
2. Can the software be run on a Mac or PC?
Yes, just click on the version you need when you begin to download it.
3. How do you input the music? Do you need a midi keyboard to do it?
No, although if you play the piano, it is much faster to use a midi keyboard. You can also type the letter names of the notes in while choosing the type of note using the "Note Palate."
4. Do I have to download special sounds to make the music play back?
No, sounds come with the software, although they are not the best. You can download better sounds, but usually at a cost.
5. Can students save their work?
Absolutely! That is one of the great things about it. However, you should decide how they are going to do that before you start using the software. You may consider using a flashdrive, although they prone to breaking (especially with younger students). If your students have access to a school server they could save it there, but they need to know how to access it and have the necessary passwords, thus necessitating a preassessment of their knowledge and skill to do that. Student can also save their work to a disk but the students need to know how to do that before starting their projects.
6. What is a good, efficient way to show students how the software works?
Once you have determined that students will be able to save their work, an efficient way to instruct a large class is to show students the basics BEFORE they turn on their computers. A SmartBoard or Projector will aid in this endeavor greatly. In addition a student guide with clear objectives that students can refer to will be of great help and lessen the instructor's time helping each individual student. It will also aid in keeping the students on-task.
Technology in Foreign Language (Maria)
1. How can I integrate sound to my power point so students can hear the correct pronunciation of a word in Spanish?
There are two ways. The first one is to go to insert in your power point menu, then go to sound and music and you will find the option to record sound. This way you can go slide by slide describing in Spanish what the students are seeing in the picture(s). The second option is to narrate the whole presentation at once. Go to the slide show option, click on record narration, start talking and move on to the next slide without stopping the recording. You can also have students record their voice, which is very motivating for them.
2. How can I use imovie to promote my program?
Using imovie is great to show what your students are able to do with the language. Most students like to perform and they get motivated to speak more fluently and with the right intonation. imovie has the option to record directly from your computer video camera (if it doesn't have one, use a regular video camera and import the video). You can edit very easily, save it as a quick time movie, place it in your website and parents can see what takes place in class. It is very important to make sure that parents have signed permission to have their children videotaped.
3. What is audacity and how can I use it in my teaching?
Audacity is a free application that you can download from www.audacity.com You can record your voice reading a story or reviewing some vocabulary words and play it as many times as you want. Students can also record their voices and you can have students in other classes listen and learn from others.
4. What is skype and how can I integrate it into my lessons?
Skype is also a free application which can be a great tool for the foreign language class. Make sure you always know who you are talking to and never accept anyone you don't know. Your students can prepare an interview in Spanish and they can talk to someone from any Hispanic country in the world. I have also used it with other schools in the district, where children can practice their language skills with other students that are learning the language.
5. What is Quia?
Quia is a website where teachers can register to create games, activities, quizzes and more. The templates for the activities are already made, so all you have to do is input the vocabulary you want the students to practice. It is very easy to use and has a variety of activities that the students enjoy. It has a useful way to analyze the quizzes that allows the teacher to re-teach or modify based on specific results.
Digital Video & Audio (Adam)
1.) What do Interlace and Progressive mean?Interlaced means the video is divided into odd and even fields. Each second first the odd, then the even field is drawn on the screen.
Progressive means the image is drawn from top to bottom.
2.) What’s the difference between a computer screen and a TV screen?
There are two. The first is computer screens are progressive, while TV screens are interlaced.
Second, computer screens use square pixels, while TV screens use rectangular pixels. This means an image formatted on a computer screen will not look the same on a TV screen.
3.) How much disk space do you need to store 1 hour of footage?
13 GB=1 hour of DV
72.7 GB=1 hour 8-bit uncompressed SD
96 GB=1 hour 10-bit uncompressed SD
560 GB=1 hour uncompressed 1080i HD
4.) What is compression?
Compression is the process of encoding video and audio. Compression codecs reduce the quality of specific aspects, such as color or clarity, to reduce file size.
5.) What’s a control track?
Whenever you record content to a physical medium, i.e. a VHS or MiniDV tape, you are recording three channels of information; the video track, the audio track(s), and the control track. The control track does not contain information on what you are recording. It functions like a map of the tape. If you play a tape and see a timecode, that is because of the control track. When there is no control track there is no timecode. To edit footage from a tape into a sequence you need at least 5 seconds of control track before and after whatever you want to take from the tape. Sometimes you need as much as 30 seconds.
6.) What are linear and non-linear editing?
Linear editing means you have to start at the beginning of your sequence and edit content into the sequence in the order it will appear. Non-linear editing means you capture the footage on a computer and then assemble the pieces in any order you want. The advantage of non-linear editing is you can revise your project at any time. When working with linear editing, if you want to change something about your sequence you have to start all over again from scratch.
7.) What are some examples of non-linear editing?
iMovie, Premiere, Final Cut, and Avid. They are listed from least powerful to most.
Word Processing in Pages '09 (Alan)
1.) What is Pages '09?
Pages is Apple's version of Microsoft Word used for word processing. It is packaged in a bundle Apple calls iWork, which consists of Keynote (Apple's version of Microsoft PowerPoint), and Numbers (Apple's version of Microsoft Excel).
2.) Why should I use Pages '09 over Microsoft Word '08 for Mac?
Pages is a powerful word processing program which allows Apple users to finely tune their documents. Using pages various templates for outlines, to envelopes, letterheads, to flyers and brochures users can create professional looking documents within minutes. All elements can be customizes from the fonts to the colors, and even the images can be changed by dragging and dropping your own pictures right into the document and adjusting them to meet your needs. Customizing a template has never been so easy, or fun.
3.) How can I insert media into my documents?
iWork allows its users to insert pictures from iPhoto or Aperture 3, movies from iMovie or Aperture 3, or music from iTunes. All media content can be found by simply clicking on the "media" button on the upper left hand corner. All your media libraries are easily accessible and can be placed within a document within seconds.
4.) What system requirements are needed to run Pages '09 on my Apple computer?
Pages '09 requires:
5.) Can I save Pages '09 documents as a Microsoft Word document?
Yes. By clicking on "file", "save as", and then on the arrow to get more options, you can choose "save document as: Microsoft Document". Saving files this way will allow you to send files to any PC user for reading or editing.
6.) Can I open Microsoft Word documents with Pages '09?
Yes. One way you can open Microsoft Word documents in Pages '09 is by dragging and dropping the Microsoft Word file over the Pages '09 icon. The second way to open a Microsoft Word document in Pages '09 is by choosing "File", and then "Open File". Next, select the desired file from Finder and click "open".
7.) Does Pages '09 come with my Apple computer?
No. iWork does not come pre-installed on any of the Apple computers. Users can purchase iWork with any Apple computer for $49 dollars with a computer, or $79 without a computer. iWork is a great addition to any Apple computer.